This is really the first year since the launch in 2006 that the blog seems appropriately named! AFP reports:
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Tuesday he will offer to reduce the pace of deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rain forest by 80 percent by 2020 when he attends December’s global climate talks in Copenhagen. Lula said his pledge will come during high-stakes talks in the Danish capital that aim to push 192 nations towards a climate deal to succeed the landmark Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
“We’re in the process of preparing our proposal for Copenhagen,” Lula said on his weekly radio program, Coffee with the President. “I foresee that by 2020 we will be able to reduce deforestation by 80 percent; in other words, we will emit some 4.8 billion fewer tons of carbon dioxide gas.”
Brazil’s rain forest, the largest on Earth, is shrinking at the rate of some 12,000 square kilometers (or 7456.454 miles) per year because of deforestation.
The world appears to be coming together to finally address deforestation, one of the biggest single contributor to climate change:
- Indonesia pledges CO2 cut of 26% to 41% by 2020, “We will change the status of our forest from that of a net emitter sector to a net sink sector by 2030.”
- A plan to save rainforests gains momentum
This is going to cost money, of course, and the developing countries quite naturally expect the rich countries — which grew rich generating the overwhelming majority of cumulative GHG emissions and cutting down their own forests — and oftentimes directly or indirectly financing the deforestation of poorer countries:
Lula said he will also demand in Copenhagen that industrialized countries pay their fair share of the costs of reducing greenhouse gases. Proposals offered by developed countries should not only cover “initiatives to reduce their emissions, but all the other harm they already have inflicted on the planet,” the Brazilian leader said.
“We have to draw a line between rich countries, which have a had an industrial policy in place for more than 150 years, and the poor ones which only now are beginning to develop,” he said.
“With respect to global warming, the responsibility of the rich countries is much greater than that of emerging countries,” said Lula.
But, the good news is that stopping deforestation is one of the most cost-effective, near-term strategies for addressing climate change:
Another good piece of news is that the House climate and clean energy bill allocates a great deal of money to this international effort:
The key will be to ensure that the Senate bill — and the final bill that gets to Obama’s desk next year — keeps these provisions.
Kudos to Brazil for putting this strong commitment on the table.
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Fantastic piece of news, best in a long while in fact. The senate now really needs to respond to this move.
Quibble on the math in the article. 12,000 linear km equals 7456.454 linear miles. 12,000 square km equals about 4633 square miles. From other sources I have seen I think the ~7500 square miles is closer to accurate, making the square kilometers number more like ~20,000.
Even if the smaller number is correct, that is still half the size of New Hampshire, or more than the size of Delaware plus Rhode Island. Again, that much forest lost every year just in Brazil’s Amazon. I consider that a lot, and indeed sounds like good news on that front.
I wonder if deforestation will decrease by 80% because Brazil will have 80% less forest?
This is a good sign from Brazil. Many countries have now made commitments and statements, but it is now time to walk the talk. However, first steps always have to be made and this is very good news.
For more positive news, have a look at this Green News.
This is great.
And while we focus on stopping deforestation, let’s also keep in mind the carbon sequestration resource of the great remaining forest lands in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and Canada. While not as huge overall as the tropical rainforests, acre-for-acre – and there are many acres – these temperate rainforests and great climate conifer woodlands may be very significant as well.
Oh, puhleez!
Look, I have lived in Brazil for 12 years, and if there is one thing that I have learned it is that no one, at least in Brazil, believes a single word any politician says, especially Lula.
Don’t you know how much of that lumber income is going to the governors, senators, state and federal congressmen and -women, local mayors, police, IBAMA, etc. ?
Are you really that naive!?!
Lula just says exactly what you all want to hear and goes on his merry way doing exactly what they were all doing before.
There was so much cloud coverage over the Amazon this past year that the satellites could not see what was going on.
Further, the prolonged rainy season meant that trucks could not get in or out of many areas where they take trees.
Please stop falling for this Lula crap! Do you believe what Hugo Chavez says about anything? Well, it is the same with Lula, or for that matter any Brazilian politician. (Actually, there were 5 out of 81 federal senators known to be honest, but one died. Further, the Supreme Court is so corrupt that there is only one judge known to be incorruptible, and he refuses to even sit down to have lunch with the rest of them.)